Associated Press Release
STATS FCS Release
Hero Sports Release
AFCA Release
HAMILTON – Colgate's trio of
T.J. Holl,
James Holland Jr., and
Nick Wheeler led the way on Friday's release of the 2018 American Football Coaches Association All-America Team.
Colgate earned three first-team selections in the same year for the first time since 1916, and the Raiders with three led all programs on this year's AFCA First Team. North Dakota State led the combined list with two on the first team and two on the second. Delaware and Dartmouth also had a combined three honorees, but Colgate was the only program with three on the first team.
Six different Raiders have accumulated 14 All-America certificates. Holland is a double First Team selection, and he and Wheeler earned placement on four different teams.
Holl earned Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading Colgate in tackles with 121 (61 solo). He was second in the Patriot League in tackles per game at 10.1 (15th nationally) and tied Wheeler for team honors in tackles-for-loss with 17 (minus 44 yards).
Twice the senior linebacker matched his career high for tackles this year with 18 against Cornell and then against Army of the FBS. He saved his best for last by combining for 27 tackles in two playoff games, including 16 at No. 1 North Dakota State.
Holland finished as the conference rushing leader with 1,219 yards and 101.6 per game (18th nationally), averaging 5.9 per attempt. His best rushing game was the career-tying 166-yard performance at Army of the FBS.
A senior tailback, Holland capped his Colgate career seventh on the Raiders rushing chart at 3,180 yards, and he was fifth in rushing touchdowns with 37. The Royal Palm Beach, Florida, native also led the team in scoring this year at 84 points and 7.0 per game, tallying 12 rushing touchdowns and two receiving. He finished with 222 career points to rank seventh in Colgate history.
Wheeler led the Raiders this season with nine sacks for minus 46 yards and tied for the team lead in tackles-for-loss with 17 for minus 72. Those totals were third in the Patriot League in both categories.
The St. Louis native and junior defensive end also was fifth on the team in total tackles with 51 (24 solo) while helping the Raiders to the No. 1 defense nationally in both scoring and total yards. Wheeler enters next season with 23½ sacks, good for fourth on the Colgate career chart and just five shy of the program record.
Wheeler also is the first modern day Colgate defensive lineman to earn All-America First Team.
Nate Eachus in 2010 was Colgate's most recent All-America First Team selection before this season. The last time the Raiders had multiple representatives on the First Team was Jamaal Branch and Marc Sclafani in 2003.
And the last time Colgate had three earn All-America First Team status was Oscar C. Anderson, Clarence E. Horning and D. Belford West were recognized by the Walter Camp and Grantland Rice awards way back in 1916.
2018 Colgate All-Americans
Tyler Castillo, DB
Hero Sports Third Team
Abu Daramy-Swaray, DB
STATS FCS Second Team
Associated Press Third Team
Max Hartzman, OL
Hero Sports Third Team
T.J. Holl, LB
AFCA First Team
Hero Sports Third Team
James Holland Jr., TB
AFCA First Team
Hero Sports First Team
Associated Press Third Team
STATS FCS Third Team
Nick Wheeler, DE
AFCA First Team
Associated Press Second Team
STATS FCS Second Team
Hero Sports Second Team
